Orson Welles - The Road to Xanadu by Simon Callow

At last I have finished this hugely detailed biography of Orson Welles up to when he is twenty six. Simon Callow has done so much research, leaving no stone unturned. And it is all here, for me just too much information. There was some I found interesting and a lot I didn't. His life at Todd School for Boys showed just what a precocious talent he was, as was his time at The Gate Theatre in Dublin.

Then the Negro Unit of The Federal Theatre Project where his all black Macbeth was a triumph in 1936. Welles directing was only 21. His first real attempt at commercial theatre at the Mercury was a successful Caesar. The trials and tribulations of casting, rehearsals and staging would make a fine movie. Then the "accident" that was "War of the Worlds".

I was very interested to read about his screenplay of Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" that was never made into a film, especially that Charlie Marlow's search up river for the elusive Mr Kurtz (the trader turned God) was the basis for the movie "Apocalypse Now". Callow explains on Page 465 "As far as Conrad is concerned, the initial pull of the story on Welles is clear to see. It had great personal resonance for him; many of it's themes continued to fascinate him for the rest of his life. His work on the story, moreover, fed in various subtle and subliminal ways into his first complete film ("Citizen Kane"). The central figure of Kurtz is an epitome of the ambiguity of greatness, or more precisely, greatness gone wrong."

Then the writer's summing up in the last two pages is equally stunning. But I would love to see someone be allowed to do an edited version.

No Man's Land at Wyndham's Theatre

When I went to see Harold Pinter's No Man's Land in 2002 at the Oxford Playhouse, I thought it was the best play I had ever seen. Directed by the writer himself, it has stuck in my memory for a long time. So when a new production starring Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart was announced, I had to go.

This time I found so much more inside the play than last time. The first half hour is actually the best piece of acting I have ever seen. It is dominated by Ian McKellen's Spooner, almost a monologue. This is Pinter speaking from the heart. He always preferred poetry to any other art form, so it is no wonder that the two leads are such specialists. I concentrated on these early speeches and it was if  McKellen was bringing every poetic nuance into play. His diction is so brilliant, even in quieter moments. His delivery was out of this world.

Unfortunately the rest of the cast could not match McKellen. Patrick Stewart as Hirst would probably have been OK if there wasn't that comparison. His last speech in the first act was not as poignant as it should be: "No man's land...does not move... or change... or grow old...
remains...forever...icy...silent", before collapsing twice and finally crawling out of the room. Even the drama of his falls was overshadowed by Spooner making a note of these wonderful words for future use. Hirst gets great lines ("Tonight my friend, you find me in the last lap of a race I had long forgotten to run") but they came out rather flat.

At Oxford, Corin Redgrave was a far superior Hirst. It was he, rather than Spooner, who shone that night. I also preferred Andy de la Tour as Briggs to last nights malevolent Owen Teale. The former's Bolsover Street speech brought the house down. Teale just blustered through. I also noticed the pauses far more in Pinter's production, last night they were hardly noticeable.

However, this performance was far funnier than I remember. As well as laugh out loud moments, there were occasions when I went on quietly giggling for ages at things that struck me as hilarious.

I didn't know until I read the programme that the four characters were named after cricketers from the golden age. Even the sparring Hirst and Spooner played for Yorkshire and Lancashire respectively. But then I should not have been surprised with Pinter's love of the game. The naughty passage about bowling had the whole audience laughing. No-one could have spoken it better than McKellen.
"Tell me with what speed she swung in the air, with what velocity she came off the wicket, whether she was responsive to finger spin, whether you could bowl a shooter with her, or an off break with a leg break action. In other words, did she google"

I still can't decide whether to go and see it again, this time live in cinemas in December. It might spoil my memory of yesterday, but then I might find more that is new. As one critic put it:

To accept "No Man's Land," you should not interpret it, at least not while it's going on. That doesn't mean that you have to believe everything that's said, only in the moment of its saying. Motives and meanings are what you make them, which is part of the fun -- watching Pinter is not passive entertainment. There is no single truth, only a series of possible truths. The substance is elusive (there's no way to avoid that dread word), but the dramatic and emotional effects are palpable.

ELO, War on Drugs, The New Porographers, Neko Case, Kristina Train and Case/Lang/Viers

It has been ages since I made a posting of my latest music. I think Alone in the Universe by Jeff Lynne's ELO was on my Christmas list. It would be churlish to say a lot of tracks are reworkings of old favourites, but there we are. Obviously not in the same bracket as his great albums, but worth a listen none the less.

Now Lost in a Dream by The War on Drugs is a great album. Echoes of Springsteen and Ryan Adams, but original enough to stand on it's own. Some great chord changes and haunting songs. Thanks to Michael for the present. Maybe Slave Ambient for Christmas?

Not quite in the same bracket is Brill Bruisers by The New Pornographers. But then you get track two "Champions of Red Wine" which is excellent. The tracks with vocals by Neko Case were definitely a good introduction to her other work .....

Still not sure about my choice of a Neko Case album. Fox Confessor Brings The Flood would probably sound much better live in a dingy jazz club. Needs a few more listens.

An interesting addition to my Ryan Adams collection, Demolition is a collection of demo's "left over" from the various recording sessions in all sorts of places. Some work, some don't. I came across these recordings courtesy of "Desire" being played on "The West Wing" where it did work very well. I bought a second hand copy very cheap so that was about right.

Not sure how I came across Dark Black by Kristina Train,  but I'm very glad I did. A moody intoxicating collection of great songs.

An unlikely collaboration is case/lang/veirs but one that works so well. It's Alison that is the big k d lang fan (off to see her again soon). I never found her to my taste, but here the other's influence makes her contributions quite nice. However it is Neko Case who stands out, far better than on her solo album above. I didn't know Laura Veirs, the Oregon singer-songwriter so I need to look for more of her work. Anyway, I guess it's the "ton of compromise" as lang puts it that makes this such a stand out album.

The Good Liar, The Little Red Chairs and Towards the End of Morning

A clever, easy reading, amusing and enjoyable story. Almost a collection of short stories from the past held together by an ongoing narrative in the present day. For a first time novelist, I was impressed.

My first Edna O'Brien and if this is the best she can do, it will be my last. OK, it was a very powerful novel, shocking even. Something to endure rather than enjoy. It should really come with a warning. Of the three parts, Part 2 was the best but the last part was the most disappointing with a even poorer ending. There were bits thrown in that were never resolved. The writing wanted to be literate but I felt it just floundered. There are images that will stay with me, but I was glad when it ended.

One of Michael Frayn's early novels from 1988. Set mostly in the office of a fleet street newspaper, Frayn packs in everything he can remember of his time in such an organisation. Most of it is quite funny though now a little dated. The characters are not quite believable given their idiosyncrasies. All in all, a harmless diversion.

The Great Inquest into the Soke of Bolingbroke

Following my post of 16th August describing my researches into the lives of my Askew ancestors on the edge of the East Fen in Lincolnshire, I had not intended to go back to the sixteenth century; I have only traced the family back to the eighteenth. However if there are earlier ancestors (and it is Rex Sly in his book “From Punt to Plough” who suggests that fen families tend to go back generations), then the fen laws contained in The Great Inquest into the Soke of Bolingbroke would have effected them directly. And they remained in force until the fens were enclosed, two hundred years later. There is little doubt that my ancestors would have lived and worked under these rules for generations.

The Askews lived in Toynton St Peter and Toynton All Saints, villages in the Soke of Bolingbroke which is an ancient administrative district covering the East and West Fens and the surrounding area, based in the village of Bolingbroke in South Lincolnshire. The boundary of the Soke is shown in R C Wheeler’s “Maps of the Witham Fens”. His Map No 8 (“A Description of Wildmore Fen, West Fen and East Fen etc” dated 1661 by an unnamed person) is a copy dated c1793. Wheeler says “The map appears to show the boundaries of the Soke of Horncastle, the Soke of Bolingbroke etc”.

In the more detailed Map No 12 (“A Map of The Levels in Lincolnshire commonly called Holland” by William Stukeley dated 1723), Wheeler says that the boundary may have been taken from Map No8. However for Map No 12, Herman Moll was the engraver and cosmographer (the science of mapmaking). As Herman Moll acknowledges, William Stukeley (an antiquarian) presented him with the design of the 1723 map. By this he obviously meant the internal Roman Road layout which had been part of the research by William Stukeley at the Society of Antiquaries. This information came from several documents of Roman origin.” (cartographyunchained.com).

The extract from this map below shows a dotted line which indicates the boundary of the Soke of Bolingbroke.

The Great Inquest set out to organise how the fen commoners used the common land of the fens to the advantage of all. It is described in W H Wheeler’s “A History of the Fens of South Lincolnshire” published in 1868. On Page 36 it reads:

“In the reign of Edward V1, a code of fen laws had been drawn up for the defining the rights and privileges of the commoners, and for the prevention of disputes and robbery (of livestock on the fen).

The code was drawn up by the Council of the Duchy of Lancaster at “The Great Inquest into The Soke of Bolingbroke”, held in 1548 and confirmed in Queen Elizabeth 1^st reign in 1573 and remained in force (for two hundred years) until the enclosure of the fens in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries .The code consisted of seventy two articles, some of which are detailed as follows:

One of the first rules related to the brands or marks which each person who stocked the fens was required to place upon his cattle. Each parish had a separate mark (Toynton’s mark was a simple “X”) and no man was allowed to turn cattle out to common until they were marked with the town brand. No foreigner, or person not having common right, was allowed to put cattle on the fen, under a penalty of forty shillings, or gather any turbary( the legal right to cut peat or turf for fuel on common land) or fodder(coarse grass) in the East Fen without a licence. No fodder was to be mown in the East or West Fen beforeMidsummer-day.

There were penalties for all sorts of other offences: putting diseased cattle on the fen, disturbing cattle with dogs, leaving any dead animal, putting swine on the fen, taking or leaving dogs there after sunset. Rams were not allowed on the fen between St Luke’s Day (18^th October) and Lammas (a festival day in August). No reed thatch, reed star, or bolt (premature stalk of a flowering stem) was to be mown before two years growth, wythes (from the willow tree) were only to be cut between Michaelmas (29^th September) and May-day. No eggs were to be taken out of the fen except for ducks or geese. No person was allowed to use any sort of net or device to take or kill any fowl called moulted ducks, in any of the fens before Midsummer-day. (Ian D Rotherham in his book “The Lost Fens” says this is because this is the time the ducks moult their wing feathers and are flightless and vulnerable for several weeks).

A code of seventeen articles was also devised by the fisherman’s jury relating to fishing in the fens, mainly about the use and kind of nets. The principal fish were pike, eels, roach and perch.

Before being sent into the common fen, the livestock were collected at certain defined places and marked, and again, being taken out in autumn, they were brought to the same place to be claimed by their owners.

The fens remained in this condition until the middle of the eighteenth century when drainage schemes were introduced. Starting in 1762 with the Witham Drainage Act, it wasn’t until the Acts of 1801 and 1803 that drainage and enclosure of the more problematic waterlogged East Fen became properly addressed.

Cornwall in October

Our 15th successive year at Port Quin, and again we were able to book an extra couple of nights. We kept our fingers crossed going so late as we usually go mid September. But it seemed that month was block booked, although in the end I believe they came free. However the weather was great, an hour or so of drizzle on the first full day and then sunny skies and a cool easterly kept it completely dry.

It was bright all the way down on the Thursday, four and three quarter hours travel time despite a fifteen minute hold up near Oxford. It was warm and sheltered sitting on the wall with a cuppa by the harbour after dumping our cases. But a lot fresher on our walk to the bench above the inlet and even chillier up by Doyden Castle.

FRIDAY
It was off to Wadebridge in the morning for a run down the Camel Trail towards Padstow. Over five miles for me, longer for Alison. Then lunch at The Granary (gorgeous bacon and sausage baps) and back to the cottage for a bath.

In the afternoon we parked on the beach at Polzeath and walked along the cliffs to Daymer Bay. Some light drizzle on the way back only made us a little damp. Not enough to stop Alison admiring all the different rock formations.

SATURDAY
We left early (but not early enough) to get to Tamar Lakes Parkrun. An hour and twenty minutes was only just enough to find our way having missed the turning down a quiet track. As we parked up, all the runners were milling around the car park waiting for the start which we made by the skin of our teeth. It was a superb single loop around Upper Tamar Lake, running in lovely sunshine with a good pace despite the run the day before.

It was their 20th anniversary so there was tea and cake in the cafe. A really friendly crowd made us welcome.

Midday and we were driving to Crackington Haven. We were advised to park at St Genny's church where it was very quiet despite the wonderful views over the sea.

It was only a short walk to the clifftop overlooking Crackington Haven itself.

From Penkenna Point (top photo above) we went north and a long way downhill, then a steep uphill climb to more great views from Castle Point before lunch near the Dizzard at StoneIvy Rock.

We walked back to St Genny's across the fields before driving to Crackington haven itself. A walk across the beach ending up with an ice cream sitting on a bench.

SUNDAY
A quiet day for me, strolling down the Camel Trail in Padstow while Alison did her run from the cottage to Rock and taking the ferry to meet me at the car. Tea and cake in a cafe and a walk up to the monument, sitting on a bench for ages in lovely sunshine.

Early afternoon we headed for the NT car park above Lundy Bay where we climbed down the rocks to sit on the beach and watch a buzzard hover overhead.

MONDAY
Our big day (although Saturday came close) at Kynance Cove. The drive is an hour and a half, but it was worth it. We needed that cup of tea at the cafe overlooking the cove before we started on our walk.

We had never taken the route along the clifftop towards Lizzard Point. It was a superb walk, we had to keep stopping to take in the view.

At Lizard Point we found a bench for our lunch stop. We explored the area around the lighthouse before heading back.

Back at Kynance Cove, the tide was going out and after another cup of tea at the cafe, we could get down onto the beach and stroll around all the rocks.

There were quite a few people on the beach, like us not wanting to leave in the superb late afternoon sun. So we finally arrived back at the cottage after 7 pm.

TUESDAY
Another Camel Trail run in the morning, this time for me towards Bodmin, following the river in beautiful woods. Over seven miles for me, less for Alison going towards Padstow. Again lunch at the Granary, a full breakfast for me.

We were completely self catering this year, so we did our big shop at Tesco and had a quiet afternoon back at the cottage.

WEDNESDAY
We always find time to do our walk from the cottage to Pentire Head via Rumps, and this was the day. A very familiar walk, but very quiet and still spectacular. At Lundy Bay we were the only ones on this fabulous beach. Rumps (our first destination) and the island of Mouls in the distance.

And now having arrived .

On to Pentire Head overlooking Polzeath. Quite windy but we clambered down a short way to find a sheltered spot for lunch.

Dodging a herd of cows on the way there and back, we had tea back at the cottage. Alison still had time to get to Polzeath for a stroll while I was able to read outside for the only time.

THURSDAY
A morning run from Polzeath along the cliffs to Daymer Bay and a run on the beach (my first). Alison had already run from the cottage when we met at the car. It was great running in the sun with the sea on our right. It was quite undulating so it was good to reach the flat beach. At least the sand was pretty hard.

A quick change back at the car, a tour of a few shops in Polzeath and then lunch on the balcony of a cafe.

It actually clouded over in the afternoon so we had a quiet time back at the cottage.

FRIDAY
Nearly every year we do the same thing on the last day. Park at Rock, a walk along the other end of Daymer Bay, the ferry over to Padstow, fish and chips for lunch (our second time at Rick's).

Then a wander round the shops (with a purchase of a Janine Partington "Cow Parsley" - vitrious enamel on copper plate) and a walk past the monument to the far beach.

Back in Padstow for an ice cream, more tea (it had become rather cool) before the ferry back to Rock.

SATURDAY
An early start again to pack the car and get to Lanhydrock Parkrun for 9am. We knew that we somehow had to get through Bodmin even though the centre was closed to traffic. No diversion signs so we ended up going in the wrong direction. Turned around and found a garage. I spoke to a man coming out with a newspaper and he gave me excellent directions through the outskirts of the town. Again we just made it before the start.

We really needed trail shoes for the difficult terrain where there are no flat paths and the hills are steep. But the tea and cake in the cafe afterwards was wonderful. No walk around this NT property this year as rain was forecast. Fortunately the drive back was dry and the rain only caught up after we were home. A trawl through the photos shows how lucky we were with the weather.

Deepwater Horizon, Me Before You and The Girl on the Train

I just wish the first half hour had been clearer about the BP organisation, who was who and who reported to who. It seemed strange that Mark Wahlberg's electrical chief's boss was Kurt Russell's safety supervisor. I also preferred the build up to the disaster which itself was pretty ordinary. But as a real life portrayal of this huge event, it did really well.

It's a long time since I went to see a British romantic drama. That was probably Richard Curtis' "About Time" three years ago. There were similarities from this tried and tested format, the only thing missing from "Me Before You" was Bill Nighy. Although Charles Dance did a good representation as the father. However, the screenplay could have done with the Curtis touch. It was not a great idea for Jojo Moyes to adapt her own book. Emilia Clarke was watchable, although that forced smile did annoy me in the end. Thea Sharrock did a reasonable job as a first time movie director and it looked glossy and colourful. It will probably be another three years before I go to something similar.

I was never a fan of the book, but I did have a fascination as to how the film would turn out. In the end, it probably made a better movie than a book. However, the jumps in time seemed out of place which didn't make for a coherent narrative. Emily Blunt was perfect as the damaged Rachel and she held everything together. For a thriller, there was very little excitement, and pivotal scenes were rushed. In the hands of a better director, it could have been great.

The Improbability of Love, Number 11 and My Lovers's Lover

I loved the first three quarters of this book. Hannah Rothschild's first novel The Improbability of Love is a delight. I found the interwoven stories of a number of larger than life characters associated with the art world to be highly entertaining. Annie, our heroine, is only there because it is she who buys a picture in a junk shop that is really a lost masterpiece! Yes, I know, all highly improbable, but as I said entertaining. But then towards the end, the story turns into a slightly cheesy and rather unpleasant thriller that ultimately descends into farce. Maybe that was predictable, but no less disappointing. There are even a couple of crucial plot holes that are never resolved. I don't think we ever got the answer to the expensive bit of blue paint. But by then I had lost interest. Such a shame as it was mainly five star stuff.

A strange but highly enjoyable romp through Britain today. Full of comic and sad characters, some comic and sad stories that all come together in the end. My first Jonathon Coe novel and it wont be my last.

After having enjoyed five of Maggie O'Farrell's novels, My Lover's Lover was a disappointment. Whilst it was still very well written, it was basically a one trick pony: the answer to the one question of why did Sinead leave Marcus. So this book is an intensive forensic examination into a doomed relationship. It is quite uncomfortable at times and just occasionally riveting. There is an apparition that is integral to the story that is never resolved or explained, and seemed a weird tangent to the feel of the book. The ending felt messy. Fortunately the characters are very well drawn, and it is a short, easy read. But nowhere near O'Farrell at her best.